The potentially deadly H5N1strain of avian influenza has evolved and is spreading faster than experts had previously predicted. Already detected in Asia, Europe and Africa, health officials fear it could soon reach North America. As scientists race to prevent a possible human pandemic, tracking bird migration patterns has become the key to predicting the next “strike zone” of H5N1.

Former bioweapons scientists in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia found themselves in the heart of a major bird flyway, and the center of an H5N1 outbreak. With the possibility of a human pandemic looming, the U.S. Department of State BioIndustry Initiative (BII) program, through CRDF and the Center for the Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT), engaged Russian specialists in a project to track the virus and detect new strains.

For six months, scientists from Russia's State Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR) worked with farms and slaughterhouses to more accurately map and report avian flu outbreaks, and identify bird migration patterns in Siberia. Using funds from a BII grant, CRDF provided financial, logistical and training support to the U.S. and Russian scientists involved with the project.

As a result of the project, the CRDF grantees at VECTOR were able to test over 2,500 wild and domestic birds and have submitted their findings to the appropriate ministries within Russia as well as to the World Health Organization. In response to the potential crisis, the Russian government began to cull and quarantine infected poultry, instituted strong regulatory measures in the affected regions, started home inspections, and began evaluating people exposed to infected animals. The project was recently expanded to include scientific support by the VECTOR grantees to the regional health care network to quickly diagnose any human cases that might occur. 

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